The Hospitality Guru (cooking) Back to Basics: Roux

Updated on October 12, 2015

A
roux is made of equal quantities of fat and flour, thoroughly belended and
cooked. Butter is the preferred
fat, but margarine, dripping or lard can also be used. A roux must be cooked thoroughly to
ensure the finished dish in which it is used does not have a raw, starchy
taste.

To
cook a roux, fat is melted in a deep saucepan, flour is added and both are
stirred together until the required colour is achieved. Cooking should be over a moderate heat
(160C degrees) as a hotter temperature restricts the absorption capacity of the
starch granules.

Starch
also burns easily if the heat is too high. If a starch is burned, its thickening capacity is reduced
and may result in a bitter flavour.

There
are three types of roux – white, blond and brown.

White roux (roux bland)

White
roux is cooked just long enough to remove the raw taste and until it resembles
fresh white breadcrumbs. The roux
will be smooth at first and then become crumbly. When the mixture becomes smooth again, it is cooked. It should not colour. White roux is only used for béchamel.

Blond
roux is cooked a little longer until it starts to take on a blonde tinge on the
bottom of the pan. Continue
stirring until an even colour is achieved. It is necessary to remove the pan from the heat before all
the colour is obtained, as the roux continues to cook from the heat of the
pan. Blond roux is used for sauces
based on white stocks.

Brown roux (roux brun)

Brown
roux is cooked until it takes on a light brown colour and has a nutty
aroma. An alternative method of
preparing a brown roux is to place the flour in an oven (160C degrees) to brown
before adding it to the fat. The
browner a roux, the less thickening capacity it has. Brown roux is used to thicken brown sauces.

A
roux is never used by itself, but is always mixed with liquids and brought to
the boil. Boiling the roux
immediately thickens the liquid to which it is added and changes its
characteristics. For example:

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